Focus no problem for OSU

October 21, 2006|AL LESAR Tribune Staff Writer

If there was a threat that Ohio State football players would overlook today's game against Indiana, the Hoosiers took care of it last week. Indiana's stunning victory over Iowa has certainly gotten the attention of the top-ranked Buckeyes. "I don't think we have to worry about focus," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "We talk constantly about doing what's at hand this moment. We focus on what's going on right this second." Tressel credits 16 fifth-year seniors with the maturity that it takes to maintain the sort of poise and intensity it takes to perform at a high level each week. The Buckeyes will be challenged by several dangerous athletes that could break a play at any time.

"Thigpen's got a burst," Tressel said. "He reminds me of (OSU return specialist) Teddy (Ginn, Jr.). You can see another gear. His presence heightens your awareness. You have to make sure you play your responsibility."

In each of quarterback Kellen Lewis' first two starts -- Illinois and Iowa -- he's engineered drives that have provided come-from-behind victories.

Receiver James Hardy, a 6-foot-7 athletic specimen, had 104 receiving yards and three touchdowns against the Hawkeyes.

This definitely isn't the same IU team that lost 14-7 to Connecticut a month ago. "This has been a very satisfying week," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "The (Iowa) win has had a dramatic effect on the community (in the short term) and in the big picture for the program. It really gives us some credibility. But, the challenge is to continue to play well on the field." That mandate comes without a lot of pressure, especially today. The 31-point differential that Las Vegas has attached to this game means the Hoosiers have nothing to lose. Tell that to Lewis, an exciting player who can cause problems with his arm or his legs, and watch him go. "Kellen has played like he's practiced," Hoeppner said of the Big Ten's co-offensive player of the week (along with Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter). "He's throwing accurately and he's dangerous with his feet. Confidence and the maturation process has helped to make him better." And, so far, he's a winner.